A Street Cat Named Bob: And How He Saved My Life

By James Bowen

The Instant New York Times bestseller! A Street Cat Named Bob is now a major motion picture, the film’s all-star cast includes Luke Treadway (Unbroken, Clash of the Titans), Joanne Froggatt (Downton Abbey), and Ruta Gedmintas (The Borgias).

James is a street musician struggling to make ends meet.
Bob is a stray cat looking for somewhere warm to sleep.

When James and Bob meet, they forge a never-to-be-forgotten friendship that has been charming readers from Thailand to Turkey.

A Street Cat Named Bob is an international sensation, landing on the bestseller list in England for 52 consecutive weeks and selling in 26 countries around the world.

When street musician James Bowen found an injured cat curled up in the hallway of his apartment building, he had no idea how much his life was about to change. James was living hand to mouth on the streets of London, barely making enough money to feed himself, and the last thing he needed was a pet. Yet James couldn't resist helping the strikingly intelligent but very sick animal, whom he named Bob. He slowly nursed Bob back to health and then sent the cat on his way, imagining that he would never see him again. But Bob had other ideas.

This instant classic about the power of love between man and animal has taken the world by storm and is a perfect gift book for cat lovers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Publishers
• Release date: Jul 30, 2013
• ISBN: 9781250029478

James Bowen

James Bowen is the author of the bestselling A Street Cat Named Bob and The World According to Bob. He found Bob the cat in 2007 and the pair were inseparable until Bob's death in June 2020. He lives in London.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Fellow Travellers

There’s an old adage I read somewhere. It says each of us is given second chances every day of our lives. They are there for the taking, it’s just that we don’t usually take them.

I spent a significant chunk of my life proving how true those words are. I was given a lot of opportunities, sometimes on a daily basis. For a long time I failed to take any of them, but then, in the early spring of 2007, that finally began to change. It was then that I befriended Bob. Looking back on it, something tells me it might have been his second chance too.

I first encountered him on a gloomy, Thursday evening in March. London hadn’t quite shaken off the winter and it was still bitingly cold on the streets, especially when the winds blew in off the Thames. There had even been a hint of frost in the air that night, which was why I’d arrived back at my new, sheltered accommodation in Tottenham, north London, a little earlier than usual after a day busking around Covent Garden.

As normal, I had my black guitar case and rucksack slung over my shoulders but this evening I also had my closest friend, Belle, with me. We’d gone out together years ago but were just mates now. We were going to eat a cheap takeaway curry and watch a movie on the small black and white television set I’d managed to find in a charity shop round the corner.

As usual, the lift in the apartment block wasn’t working so we headed for the first flight of stairs, resigned to making the long trudge up to the fifth floor.

The strip lighting in the hallway was broken and part of the ground floor was swathed in darkness, but as we made our way to the stairwell I couldn’t help noticing a pair of glowing eyes in the gloom. When I heard a gentle, slightly plaintive meowing I realised what it was.

Edging closer, in the half-light I could see a ginger cat curled up on a doormat outside one of the ground-floor flats in the corridor that led off the hallway.

I’d grown up with cats and had always had a bit of a soft spot for them. As I moved in and got a good look I could tell he was a tom, a male.

I hadn’t seen him around the flats before, but even in the darkness I could tell there was something about him, I could already tell that he had something of a personality. He wasn’t in the slightest bit nervous, in fact, completely the opposite. There was a quiet, unflappable confidence about him. He looked like he was very much at home here in the shadows and to judge by the way he was fixing me with a steady, curious, intelligent stare, I was the one who was straying into his territory. It was as if he was saying: ‘So who are you and what brings you here?’

I couldn’t resist kneeling down and introducing myself.

‘Hello, mate. I’ve not seen you before, do you live here?’ I said.

He just looked at me with the same studious, slightly aloof expression, as if he was still weighing me up.

I decided to stroke his neck, partly to make friends but partly to see if he was wearing a collar or any form of identification. It was hard to tell in the dark, but I realised there was nothing, which immediately suggested to me that he was a stray. London had more than its fair share of those.

He seemed to be enjoying the affection, and began brushing himself lightly against me. As I petted him a little more, I could feel that his coat was in poor condition, with uneven bald patches here and there. He was clearly in need of a good meal. From the way he was rubbing against me, he was also in need of a bit of TLC.

‘Poor chap, I think he’s a stray. He’s not got a collar and he’s really thin,’ I said, looking up at Belle, who was waiting patiently by the foot of the stairs.

She knew I had a weakness for cats.

‘No, James, you can’t have him,’ she said, nodding towards the door of the flat that the cat was sitting outside. ‘He can’t have just wandered in here and settled on this spot, he must belong to whoever lives there. Probably waiting for them to come home and let him in.’

Reluctantly, I agreed with her. I couldn’t just pick up a cat and take him home with me, even if all the signs pointed to the fact it was homeless. I’d barely moved into this place myself and was still trying to sort out my flat. What if it did belong to the person living in that flat? They weren’t going to take too kindly to someone carrying off their pet, were they?

Besides, the last thing I needed right now was the extra responsibility of a cat. I was a failed musician and recovering drug addict living a hand-to-mouth existence in sheltered accommodation. Taking responsibility for myself was hard enough.

*   *   *

The following morning, Friday, I headed downstairs to find the ginger tom still sitting there. It was as if he hadn’t shifted from the same spot in the past twelve hours or so.

Once again I dropped down on one knee and stroked him. Once again it was obvious that he loved it. He was purring away, appreciating the attention he was getting. He hadn’t learned to trust me 100 per cent yet. But I could tell he thought I was OK.

In the daylight I could see that he was a gorgeous creature. He had a really striking face with amazingly piercing green eyes, although, looking closer, I could tell that he must have been in a fight or an accident because there were scratches on his face and legs. As I’d guessed the previous evening, his coat was in very poor condition. It was very thin and wiry in places with at least half a dozen bald patches where you could see the skin. I was now feeling genuinely concerned about him, but again I told myself that I had more than enough to worry about getting myself straightened out. So, more than a little reluctantly, I headed off to catch the bus from Tottenham to central London and Covent Garden where I was going to once more try and earn a few quid busking.

By the time I got back that night it was pretty late, almost ten o’clock. I immediately headed for the corridor where I’d seen the ginger tom but there was no sign of him. Part of me was disappointed. I’d taken a bit of a shine to him. But mostly I felt relieved. I assumed he must have been let in by his owner when they’d got back from wherever it was they had been.

*   *   *

My heart sank a bit when I went down again the next day and saw him back in the same position again. By now he was slightly more vulnerable and dishevelled than before. He looked cold and hungry and he was shaking a little.

‘Still here then,’ I said, stroking him. ‘Not looking so good today.’

I decided that this had gone on for long enough.

So I knocked on the door of the flat. I felt I had to say something. If this was their pet, it was no way to treat him. He needed something to eat and drink – and maybe even some medical attention.

A guy appeared at the door. He was unshaven, wearing a T-shirt and a pair of tracksuit bottoms and looked like he’d been sleeping even though it was the middle of the afternoon.

‘Sorry to bother you, mate. Is this your cat?’ I asked him.

For a second he looked at me as if I was slightly mad.

‘What cat?’ he said, before looking down and seeing the ginger tom curled up in a ball on the doormat.

‘Oh. No,’ he said, with a disinterested shrug. ‘Nothing to do with me, mate.’

‘He’s been there for days,’ I said, again drawing a blank look.

‘Has he? Must have smelled cooking or something. Well, as I say, nothing to do with me.’

He then slammed the door shut.

I made my mind up immediately.

‘OK, mate, you are coming with me,’ I said, digging into my rucksack for the box of biscuits I carried specifically to give treats to the cats and dogs that regularly approached me when I was busking.

I rattled it at him and he was immediately up on all fours, following me.

I could see he was a bit uneasy on his feet and was carrying one of his back legs in an awkward manner, so we took our time climbing the five flights of stairs. A few minutes later we were safely ensconced in my flat.

My flat was threadbare, it’s fair to say. Apart from the telly, all I had in there was a second-hand sofa bed, a mattress in the corner of the small bedroom, and in the kitchen area a half-working refrigerator, a microwave, a kettle and a toaster. There was no cooker. The only other things in the flat were my books, videos and knick-knacks.

I’m a bit of a magpie; I collect all sorts of stuff from the street. At that time I had a broken parking meter in one corner, and a broken mannequin with a cowboy hat on its head in another. A friend once called my place ‘the old curiosity shop’, but as he sussed out his new environment the only thing the tom was curious about was the kitchen.

I fished out some milk from the fridge, poured it into a saucer and mixed it with a bit of water. I know that − contrary to popular opinion − milk can be bad for cats because, in fact, they are actually lactose intolerant. He lapped it up in seconds.

I had a bit of tuna in the fridge so I mixed it up with some mashed up biscuits and gave that to him as well. Again, he wolfed it down. Poor thing, he must be absolutely starving, I thought to myself.

After the cold and dark of the corridor, the flat was five-star luxury as far as the tom was concerned. He seemed very pleased to be there and after being fed in the kitchen he headed for the living room where he curled up on the floor, near the radiator.

As I sat and watched him more carefully, there was no doubt in my mind that there was something wrong with his leg. Sure enough, when I sat on the floor next to him and started examining him I found that he had a big abscess on the back of his rear right leg. The wound was the size of a large, canine-like tooth, which gave me a good idea how he’d got it. He’d probably been attacked by a dog, or possibly a fox, that had stuck its teeth into his leg and clung on to him as he’d tried to escape. He also had a lot of scratches, one on his face not far from his eye, and others on his coat and legs.

I sterilised the wound as best as I could by putting him in the bathtub then putting some non-alcoholic moisturiser around the wound and some Vaseline on the wound itself. A lot of cats would have created havoc if I’d tried to treat them like that but he was as good as gold.

He spent most of the rest of the day curled up on what was already his favourite spot, near the radiator. But he also roamed around the flat a bit every now and again, jumping up and scratching at whatever he could find. Having ignored it earlier on, he now began to find the mannequin in the corner a bit of a magnet. I didn’t mind. He could do whatever he liked to it.

I knew ginger toms could be very lively and could tell he had a lot of pent-up energy. When I went to stroke him, he jumped up and started pawing at me. At one point he got quite animated, scratching furiously and almost cutting my hand

‘OK, mate, calm down,’ I said, lifting him off me and putting him down on the floor. I knew that young males who hadn’t been neutered could become extremely lively. My guess was that he was still ‘complete’ and was well into puberty. I couldn’t be sure, of course, but it again underlined the nagging feeling that he must have come off the streets rather than from a home.

I spent the evening watching television, the tom curled up by the radiator, seemingly content to be there. He only moved when I went to bed, picking himself up and following me into the bedroom where he wrapped himself up into a ball by my feet at the edge of the bed.

As I listened to his gentle purring in the dark, it felt good to have him there. He was company, I guess. I’d not had a lot of that lately.

*   *   *

On Sunday morning I got up reasonably early and decided to hit the streets to see if I could find his owner. I figured that someone might have stuck up a ‘Lost Cat’ poster. There was almost always a photocopied appeal for the return of a missing pet plastered on local lampposts, noticeboards and even bus stops. There seemed to be so many missing moggies that there were times when I wondered whether there was a cat-napping gang at work in the area.

Just in case I found the owner quickly, I took the cat with me, attaching him to a leash I’d made out of a shoelace to keep him safe. He was happy to walk by my side as we took the stairs to the ground floor.

Outside the block of flats the cat began pulling on the string lead as if he wanted to head off. I guessed that he wanted to do his business. Sure enough he headed off into a patch of greenery and bushes adjoining a neighbouring building and disappeared for a minute or two to heed nature’s call. He then returned to me and happily slipped back into the lead.

He must really trust me, I thought to myself. I immediately felt that I had to repay that trust and try and help him out.

My first port of call was the lady who lived across the street. She was known locally for looking after cats. She fed the neighbourhood strays and got them neutered, if necessary. When she opened the door I saw at least five cats living inside. Goodness knows how many more she had out the back. It seemed that every cat for miles headed to her backyard knowing it was the best place to get some food. I didn’t know how she could afford to feed them all.

She saw the tom and took a shine to him straight away, offering him a little treat.

She was a lovely lady but didn’t know anything about where he’d come from. She’d not seen him around the area.

‘I bet he’s come from somewhere else in London. Wouldn’t surprise me if he’s been dumped,’ she said. She said she’d keep her eyes and ears open in case she heard anything.

I had a feeling she was right about him being from somewhere far from Tottenham.

Out of interest, I took the cat off his lead to see if he knew what direction to go in. But as we walked the streets, it was obvious he didn’t know where he was. He seemed completely lost. He looked at me as if to say: ‘I don’t know where I am; I want to stay with you.’

We were out for a few hours. At one point he scurried off into a bush to do his business again, leaving me to ask any passing locals whether they recognised him. All I got was blank looks and shrugs.

It was obvious that he didn’t want to leave me. As we wandered around, I couldn’t help wondering about his story: where he’d come from and what sort of life he’d led before he’d come and sat on the mat downstairs.

Part of me was convinced that the ‘cat lady’ across the street was right and he was a family pet. He was a fine-looking cat and had probably been bought for Christmas or someone’s birthday. Gingers can be a bit mental and worse if not neutered, as I’d already seen. They can get very dominant, much more so than other cats. My hunch was that when he’d become boisterous and frisky he had also become a little too much to handle.

I imagined the parents saying ‘enough is enough’ and − rather than taking him to a refuge or the RSPCA − sticking him in the back of the family car, taking him for a drive and throwing him out into the street or on to the roadside.

Cats have a great sense of direction, but he’d obviously been let loose far from home and hadn’t gone back. Or maybe he’d known that it wasn’t really home at all and decided to find a new one.

My other theory was that he’d belonged to an old person who had passed away.

Of course, it was possible that wasn’t the case at all. The fact that he wasn’t house-trained was the main argument against him having been domesticated. But the more I got to know him the more convinced I was that he had definitely been used to being around one person. He seemed to latch on to people whom he thought would look after him. That’s what he’d done with me.

The biggest clue about his background was his injury, which looked nasty. He’d definitely picked that up in a fight. From the way it was leaking pus, the wound must have been a few days old, maybe even a week. That suggested another possibility to

Reviews for A Street Cat Named Bob

[corduroy7-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A friend once told me that cats choose us and walk into our lives at just the right moment. James Bowen and Bob found each other and are the most extraordinary friends. How wonderful for them both. What a delight to read their story! Now I'd like to read the sequel.

On 12-Oct-2016, GoodReads asked the question on Facebook: Describe the book you're currently reading in three words!
My reply: Heartwarming...True...Meaningful..."A Street Cat Named Bob: How One Man and His Cat Found Hope on the Streets" by James Bowen.

[tina1969_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

James lived on the streets and was a recovering drug addict. When trying to get his life on track and living in a shelted housing he meets Bob the cat and both their lives will change for the better.I don't normally like biographies as I don't want to read a narrative that rambles on, so I gave this book a shot purely because it's the reading group.What a surprise I got with this book. The book was very easy to read and I found I was ploughing through it quite quickly. As soon as James began his story I was hooked and wanted to find out what was going to happen to both James and Bob.I can totally relate to what James tells us about Bob as I am a cat lover myself and over the years have had several cats. All my own have now gone but I do care for two stray kittens that live in my garden. Cats have a habit of being where they want to be and they find you rather than you find them.The story is very heartwarming, sad at times and makes you think. I also learnt a lot from James's story about selling the Big Issue and didn't realise how complex that could be.What I didn't want was a sad ending and it's no spolier as there are plenty of videos on You Tube of Bob and further books of his adventures.Not sure if I would read anymore of the series of books but I did enjoy this book as its a charming tale of hope and very heartwarming.

[dolmoundaniel · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Un libro lleno de esperanza en las personas y en los gatos que antes no megustaban.

[blintnatc · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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[Susan Coffey · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Pleasant story but nothing too compelling. I thought it would be better than it was.

[XA-PJ4U · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

You will laugh, you will cry. Loved it. Read it!

[triduana-794064 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I admit that I bought this book because it had a cute cat picture on the cover.

It's a good read, though. It's interesting from the start. It's very much a story about a man and his cat: there are other people mentioned in the book but only really in passing. It's a good uplifting story that's as entertaining as it is touching.

It misses out on 5 stars from me because of the writing style, or more to the point, it could have done with more editing. James Bowen is clearly not a writer so I don't mind that the narrative was not amazing: the story is written in a practical and to-the-point style, and reflects the impression I get of the author. The way it is written works nicely and I enjoyed reading it.

[aprems · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I saw the book on a secondhand bookstore at the mall, but couldn't afford to buy it yet because we ate some shawarma earlier. I'll definitely go back there to pick up the book. I love the book more than the movie, but I think they're both beautiful. This is such a beautifully-written book about two very beautiful souls. Sending love to you James from the Philippines. I love this book so much.

[mumoftheanimals · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Bit too sentimental for me.

[jinjer-641812 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If you read the book first, be warned that the movie is VERY different and you'll be like WTF???

[bereanna · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good story of a London busker trying to remain off the heroin addiction by using methadone. He is befriended by a cat who follows him to his position as he sings and strums. He begins providing for the cat, thus beginning a new life for the man. Eventually a book and a movie are made with their story. Nice book.

[missbrangwen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I am so happy that I finally got around reading this because I seriously loved every page of it.
The author lived in sheltered housing and was a busker on a methadone program, trying to get off heroin, when he encountered a ginger tomcat in the hall of his building, injured, thin and exhausted. Being a cat lover, he couldn't abandon the tomcat all to himself and in the end kept him, which changed both of their lives.
The story sounds so cheesy, which is probably why I never really read this book until now - I love the cover and I love cats, but I did not expect much of this memoir. However, it is told so naturally and in such an authentic manner that I couldn't help but warm to James and Bob from page one. It feels like sitting in a café and just chatting to the author.
I must admit that I cried over a few chapters, for example when he describes how he finally stopped taking methadone and Bob helped him cope with the utterly terrible withdrawal symptoms he encountered during the first days. It is such a poignant story of how much animals can give to humans.
Apart from this, I also appreciated the insides the author gives into his daily life as a busker and later as a seller of the Big Issue, always being invisible or seen as a nuisance or a lazy person, while in truth working hard for a very small wage. This made me reflect on the way society (myself included) sees homeless people. So although this really is a feel good book, it does have some serious topics, but it is very readable because James is such a relatable character in his own story and simply tells the reader about what happened to him without pointing a finger. You cannot help but root for him and this is why I definitely want to read the other two books of this series.

[delphimo_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A fellow book club member lauded A Street Cat Named Bob by James Bowen. Yes, this book details many traits and practices of cats, but I never encountered any tear-jerking chapters. According to James, Bob saved him from a return to drug addition and threw James into a better life style. Maybe, my callous heart did not see any redemption in this story. I have been owned by cats for over fifty years. My three feral cats give me a purpose for rising every day. They must be fed! I could not understand how Bob would leave the apartment and yet return after completing his “business”.

[mmvv · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I came to it through the movie, surprisingly I liked its film version much more than the book, but that doesn’t mean the book is bad to read. It is a story primarily about overcoming challenges, and the fact that it involves a feline interaction, for me, as a big cat fan, makes the story more than charming. (Translated from Spanish)

[Tintadelunalibros · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is a clear example of how an animal can come to save a person.
James thought that when he found Bob, apparently abandoned at his doorstep, he was saving him by taking him in… what he didn't expect was that the salvation was mutual.

James was a young man who had fallen into the deepest pit of drugs, darkness consumed his day-to-day life until a four-legged character with orange fur entered his life.
For a long time, nothing new had happened in James's life, without responsibilities and without acts of affection, which is why Bob meant so much to him.

James earned a living on the street, playing with his worn-out guitar to have enough to eat, facing all these adversities and many more in his daily life. But he has Bob, who motivates him, makes him smile, and makes him feel he needs to fight to stay here.

How could I not give it 5 stars? It's an autobiographical story of personal overcoming, where everything narrated is reality and, moreover, it's done with respect and humility.
It's written simply and the chapters are short, making it very pleasant to read.

5/5⭐️ (Translated from Spanish)

[librarycin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

James had just gotten himself into housing and off the streets. He was a recovering heroin addict when he found an orange cat he called Bob. James was still struggling to feed himself, let alone feed a cat, and take on vet bills as Bob was injured when he first came to James. James was a busker and continued to busk with Bob at his side. Bob helped out in that he attracted a lot of attention, so James made a lot more money than he otherwise would have. When James was kicked out of his favourite busking spots (he was not where musicians were supposed to play), he (and Bob) switched to selling the “Big Issue”, a weekly magazine sold by people down on their luck and trying to get their lives on track.

I really liked this. Bob and James saved each other. It was eye-opening to read about James’ (and likely similar stories to many others living on the streets) homelessness and life on the streets, and how hard it was for him to kick his addiction. It is a quick book to read. The book itself only goes for a couple of years after James and Bob found each other, but looking them up online after finishing, I am saddened to hear that Bob died after being hit by a car in 2020.

[Moraleserick · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It's the best. (Translated from Spanish)

[MaribelGarcía · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's a book with a simple narrative, no slow parts, and it's a very approachable book that makes you read it quite quickly and enjoy every page.

The truth is that it's not a novel that hooks you because it keeps you in suspense until the end, but it's more about knowing what the future holds for the two of them, and you also get hooked on Bob because you feel an attraction to him.

And it shows that it's a story of overcoming challenges and love for animals. (Translated from Spanish)

[Olga MS · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Simple, endearing, and comforting for these times. (Translated from Spanish)

[Birujis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It has moved me a lot.
Only when you have animals do you know what they mean for your well-being, the companionship they provide, and the love you have for them. They are part of your family.
I don't know what it's like to have a dog, but I know perfectly well what it means to have a cat adopt you. I was anti-pets until Gitana, a stray kitten who barely lived four years, came into my life, into my home, into my family. She opened me up to the feline world.
A few days later, Víctor arrived, who is also now gone and whom Bob constantly reminds me of.
The story is very beautiful, tender. It talks about love, friendship, responsibility, how animals heal us, about prejudices, about the invisibility of certain people,...
I haven't settled for just reading the book. I've been thrilled with its videos on YouTube and I'm looking forward to seeing the movie. (Translated from Spanish)

[carlathelibrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Loved this book. It was inspiring to see how a pet was able to assist James with turning his life around. It also gave me a real insight into the life of the homeless or working poor. I never realized some of the things they go through. I already read the second book, but appreciated this one so much more. James Bowen was living on the streets addicted to heroin when he decided he wanted to clean up his life. Living in assisted living and on methadone, he is busking in Covent Gardens to cover his expenses. Finding and injured cat in his apartment building, he decides to nurse him back to health, then let him go back to the streets. The cat has other ideas. Once he has someone or something else to take care of, he decides to clean up even further and get off methadone. Who saved who in this story. A beautiful read.

[abycats_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a small, but heartwarming, story about a memorable animal. "Pet" is an insufficient title for
Bob, a street cat who inspires a young man to make changes in his life. If you loved reading Dewey the library cat or the dog Marley, this will be manna to your soul.

I will concede that this slight slip of a story wouldn't ordinarily warrant four stars. The author's writer, Garry Jenkins, is not only a talented (tho not perfect) user of words but manages to put a gloss on the author's thoughts that never outshines the topic. Well done.

[lindaliu-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lovely story. This is a feel-good/love story that was also gritty and informative about addiction and life on the street. Bob the ginger tom cat is adorable. I feel very happy to have simply read about him. Bob is just being himself but he brings purpose and self-respect back into James' life, guiding him like a shining beacon of hope on to better things. He is a calm and patient cat, unfazed by most things. It helps that he is cute and fluffy too! Bob is so popular, he inadvertently becomes a YouTube star along the way.

[bgknighton · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

True story of how being responsible for a cat taught a man to be responsible for himself.

[glade1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Bob is a real sweetheart and it is clear that the author needed someone like Bob in his life. This book is heartwarming although not weighty. It is a simple story of one person's relationship with a special pet, and it brings home the message that we humans usually receive way more than we give to our furry friends.

[lit_chick_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

"There’s a famous quote I read somewhere. It says we are all given second chances every day of our lives. They are there for the taking, it’s just that we don’t usually take them.” (Ch 1)

Failed musician and recovering drug addict, James Bowen, is living hand-to-mouth in sheltered accommodation in London when he finds and nurses back to health a beautiful ginger tomcat he names Bob. When Bob is well again, James expects that he will return to his life on the streets, but Bob has other ideas. When the cat follows James onto a bus one day, James begins to think that perhaps the two of them can make a life together. James, used to being invisible on London’s streets, finds that having the handsome feline reclined on his shoulders, or curled up in his guitar case as they busk in Covent Garden, has changed society’s perception of him:

“Seeing me with my cat softened me in their eyes. It humanized me. Especially after I’d been so dehumanized. In some ways it was giving me back my identity. I had been a non-person; I was becoming a person again.” (Ch 6)

A Street Cat Named Bob is not going to win any literary prizes for writing, but it is a quick study, and a charming, feel-good story. I understand Bob is coming to the big screen and wanted to acquaint myself with him before then.

[sarahebear · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A charming and genuine story about the relationship between a recovering drug addict and his cat and how they saved each other's lives. A frank and honest look at life on the streets in London, the difficulties of busking for a living and the ins and outs of selling the "Big Issue" magazine. A lot of folk have complained about the quality of the writing but I don't have a problem with it. This isn't literary fiction or an academic work. This is a story about a man and his cat. I thought that it was a great read.

[heatherlinc · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is such a gorgeous book. I loved Dewey, the library cat, but Bob, the street cat, is even better. Bob reminds me so much of the beautiful, ginger cat I grew up with in both looks and personality. I found myself with a continuous smile on my face as I read about Bob's antics. Written with humour and gentle simplicity this is an inspirational book about how a stray cat helped a recovering drug addict turn his life around. A must read for all cat lovers.

[sullywriter_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Only a heartless, soulless, insufferable dolt would not be profoundly moved by this heartwarming story of a stray cat who transforms the life of a man down on his luck.

[y2ash · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a story about one man, his cat, and their continuing friendship....

James Bowen's A Street Cat Named Bob and How He Saved My Life is a feel good, wonderful, and cute book without being cringeworthy mushy. In fact, I'm afraid if Hollywood options it for a movie, it would be just horrendously cutesy-wutesy, lacking any substance. The gist is Bowen is a recovering heroin addict earning a meager living as a busker, in the U.S. a street performer, in London.

Returning home one night, he finds an injured ginger tomcat outside his flat. Growing up with cats, he decides to take it in and nurse it back health. Bowen tries to keep himself distant from the cat, as it is a stray and could leave at any time, but he winds up getting attached to the little fella. He keeps it and names him Bob after the killer from the 90's TV show, Twin Peaks.

One day, Bob joins Bowen while he busks and draws a big crowd and the money begins to roll in. Life is good but soon he and Bob start getting threats from the locals. Bowen decides he is finally going to take the steps to improve his life for good. He's slowly going to taper off the methadone and get himself a proper job working for Big Issue Magazine, a homeless assistance program. Bowen realizes that not only he has t accept responsibility for himself but for Bob too.

I absolutely loved this book! It's the perfect read for the approaching holidays. I am so glad that I saw this book in my local bookstore and I asked for it at my local library. Bowen's writing is very straightforward. He accepts responsibilty for how his life went off the rails. It was ugly and describes his follies unflinchingly.

Bowen shows the restorative power of pets. They can sense your mood and can help you. If you show them respect, they'll show you respect. Bob is such a smart cat and I love how Bowen describes Bob as his tether to the real world as he was going through his methadone withdrawal. Bob was his saviour; the kick in the butt he needed to permanently get on the road to recovery. I loved it!!